Road rage turns into gunfight in Novi

A Sterling Heights man who was shot in the face New Year's Eve is in serious condition after a road rage incident led to the man crashing into a Novi building, according to the Novi Police Department.

The altercation, which culminated in the Novi Square Plaza near Pontiac Trail and West Park Drive, sent police to the area around 10 p.m. on a call that a Cadillac Escalade had crashed into a Dollar Tree store in the plaza.

Responding officers found a 35-year-old Sterling Heights man who had been shot in the face. He was sitting in his Cadillac Escalade, which had crashed into the storefront, officials report.

Officers also located a 30-year-old Wolverine Lake man near a white, older-model Chevrolet pickup truck at the scene. He had called in the incident, according to Novi Assistant Chief Jerrod Hart.

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The man stayed at the scene and reported what happened to police, he added.

"He was not arrested," Hart said of the Wolverine Lake man. "Based on the statements he gave, he was allowed to go home because officers were unable to talk to the Sterling Heights man to confirm anything."

He added that it seemed like the Wolverine Lake man may have been defending himself.

Hart said the altercation happened because of a traffic miscommunication.

"The gentleman who was driving the pickup pulled out of a business on Novi's border, and the man in the Escalade perceived he was being cut off," said Hart. "The altercation ended in a confrontation between the two men in the plaza."

The men -- who each was armed with a handgun and holds a license to carry a concealed pistol -- began a heated argument, say police.

Gunshots were exchanged between the two men, and the Escalade driver was shot through the cheek area and crashed into the Dollar Tree, Hart said.

Novi police and emergency personnel responded and were on-scene for about two hours. The Sterling Heights man -- who suffered serious neck and face injuries -- was transported to an area hospital for treatment.

He was later taken to a Novi trauma center, where he remained in stable, but serious condition.

The Dollar Tree building was left with minor damage after the incident, but Hart said the building division of the city's community development department inspected it and cleared it for use. It opened two days later.

Dollar Tree employees declined to comment Friday when the store was contacted.

Hart's evaluation of the night's turn of events was that it's "all about putting things into perspective."

"Traffic altercations can turn ugly quick," Hart said. "I'm sure neither of the gentlemen had any idea it was going to escalate to this level."

In 2012, there were 1,554 registered guns in Novi, up from 1,234 in 2011. About half of them were also licensed to carry concealed weapons, said Hart.

The investigation has no apparent timetable while the Sterling Heights man remains hospitalized. The case will be presented to the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office once detectives have spoken to both parties involved.

The Novi Police Department is still trying to obtain all of the details that led up to the shooting.

Hart encourages any witnesses, or anyone with information related to this case to call Sgt. Matt Conquest at 248-348-7100.